This invention relates to a novel method for suspending or mounting planar artwork, photographs, documents and the like, and particularly such planar articles of priceless value and/or historical significance. Since the prime interest is thought to be in artwork, i.e. paintings, etchings, lithographs, etc. by well-renowned if not famous masters, for simplicity the present invention will be restricted thereto.
The suspension of artwork within a structure, e.g., a frame, has been practiced for centuries much in the same way as it today. This method, commonly known as the paper hinge method, is further described in the literature as a xe2x80x9cconservative methodxe2x80x9d or art preserving method for suspending the artwork for display. These known methods are aptly described, for example, in xe2x80x9cMATTING AND HINGING OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPERxe2x80x9d, a National Preservation Program Publication, Library of Congress (ISBN 0-8444-0386-5); xe2x80x9cHOW TO CARE FOR WORKS OF ART ON PAPERxe2x80x9d, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (ISBN 0-87846-254-6); xe2x80x9cFRAMING AND CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART ON PAPERxe2x80x9d, by Douglas M. Kenyon, Conservator of Prints and drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago (1969-1978); and xe2x80x9cINKSMITH ARTIST NEWSxe2x80x9d, vol. III, issue no. 2, November-December, 1986, Daniel Smith, Inc., among others.
All of the above publications describe the method known for centuries for mounting and suspending flat, fibrous works of art to mounting boards (xe2x80x9cbackboardsxe2x80x9d) by means of paper hinges. Specifically, an object of art, e.g., an etching, lithograph or watercolor, selected for vertical display is mounted on a display system comprising a mounting board, frame, mat and a cover of clear glass or plastic.
The artwork is first positioned on the mounting board. Paper hinges are then prepared, the length, width, thickness and material of which are selected based on the size, weight and material of the artwork. Next a paste is prepared for attaching the hinge to the artwork and to the board. (This paste is typically made from wheat or rice.) Often a preservative or other reagent is added to prevent infestation or consumption by insects, fungus or other bacteria which consume wheat and rice based items. The paste is a food source for many organisms and accordingly invites infestation and consumption of not only the dried paste, but the artwork as well.
Once the paste has been properly prepared, one end section of each hinge is placed on the back top surface of the artwork. Paste is applied to the hinge where it contacts the artwork. The paste is allowed to dry until the moisture in the paste solution which has mingled with both the fibers of the hinge and the fibers of the artwork evaporates off, but not before the moisture has enlarged the fibers it has reached. Afterwards, the opposed end section of the hinge is pasted to the mounting board so that the artwork is now connected to and suspended from the mounting board and may now be framed.
The above mounting procedure is frequently referred to as the xe2x80x9cconservativexe2x80x9d manner of mounting artwork. It is called xe2x80x9cconservativexe2x80x9d because the hinge attachment may be reversed by applying water to activate the paste, thereby permitting removal from the artwork.
This system for mounting artwork for vertical displaying, known for centuries and still generally used today, suffers from several deficiencies or detriments to be described hereinafter.
The paste used to attach the artwork to the mounting board uses a water base which invades the fibers of both the hinge material and the artwork. During the papermaking process, the paper fibers are separated and mixed into a slurry of water. The fibers expand during this process and then interlink with one another. Next the slurry is caught on a screen where they intermingle and link together to form a blanket of fibers which are then transferred to a felt pad and a second felt pad is then placed thereover to sandwich the blanket of fibers therebetween. Pressure is applied to dry, flatten and lock the fibers together. The resulting sheet, called a xe2x80x9cwaterleafxe2x80x9d may then be sized by dipping it in a bath of gelatin or starch. This sizing limits the dispersion of water-based colorant into the sheet.
When moisture in the paste is introduced to the surface of the artwork, the fibers in the sheet reabsorb the moisture and swell. This swelling irreversibly moves the fibers apart as they absorb water, resulting in a less dense section of the sheet and therefore a change in its makeup or structure, e g., a softening or reduction in strength.
This condition is particularly to be avoided when the artwork is a masterpiece or a one-of-a-kind, priceless or very expensive piece, such as works of Rembrandt, Monet, Chagall, etc.
In addition to the physical change when moisture is introduced is the infusion of paste particles in the form of wheat or rice invading the interstices of the fibers. These particles from the glue bonding the hinge to the artwork bond to the fibers in a semi-permanent matrix. While this bond, as alluded to earlier, is reversible, it is still impossible to remove every paste particle. These residual paste particles are initially a foreign object within the fibers of the artwork and secondly are potentially a food source for infestation. The various forms of infestation can and do consume not only the paste but portions of the artwork itself.
A further detriment to the application of paste is the absorption by the paste of airborne contaminants which may be present in the ambient atmosphere during and subsequent to pasting.
The hinges themselves are also made from various papers and as such are subject to the same detrimental effects as the artwork. They are torn or cut from papers which resemble the density and fiber strength of the artwork. However, the hinges are not typically made from the same sheet material as the artwork and usually are not as old as the artwork so that the resulting connection or bonding of the hinge to the artwork is the xe2x80x9cmarrying of dissimilarxe2x80x9d materials. This results in different rates and differences of the bonding of the paste to both the hinge and the artwork. It can therefore be concluded that the ultimate bond of hinge to both the artwork and the mounting board can never be measured or determined until the actual bond has been finalized. Afterward, the competence of the xe2x80x9cexpertxe2x80x9d must be taken for granted.
The loss of a hinge could result in the artwork shifting or falling from the board, resulting in irreparable damage to the artwork itself.
One of the primary reasons for using paper for hinges is that the hinge will expand and contract at relatively the same rate as the artwork sheet itself This prevents binding of the artwork between the hinges which could result in stretching or tearing of the artwork between the hinges.
Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to predetermine the various expansion and contraction rates of all the various hinge papers available to the technician.
Another type of hinge material in use today is the pre-gummed hinge tape. These tapes are of linen or paper construction with a pre-applied, water-activated adhesive layer. They are less capable of changing size when the artwork is subjected to expansion and contraction forces due to changes in the ambient temperature.
These tape hinges are also touted to be reversible with water, but the same limitations apply as with paper hinges and water.
Yet another method of mounting artwork and holding it to a mounting board for display purposes is the xe2x80x9cPhotomountxe2x80x9d method. This consists of forming troughs or ledges which contain the artwork without physically adhering something to the artwork. This leaves the artwork to float within the ledges where it can contract and expand with ambient humidity changes. In this method, the artwork can sag within the mounting structure, resulting in wrinkles or waves which will become permanent for the artwork.
As will be appreciated, all of the methods described above and still in use today for hanging artwork for vertical display present one or more problems. These problems constitute the task of this invention, namely to find a means for mounting artwork for vertical display which presents none of these problems, permitting the artwork to remain without any chemical or physical changes.
According to this invention, this task is solved in an elegant manner by devising a novel system for displaying artwork in a vertical manner, e.g. as in a frame mounted on a wall, the system including at least one magnet, preferably two or more magnets, each such magnet mating with another magnet of opposite polarity or a metallic element having a strong reciprocal magnetic attraction, e.g. a ferro-magnetic material, adapted for placement in superposition with each such magnet to provide a strong magnetic force of attraction firmly clamping to releasably secure an edge of the artwork when placed within the magnetic force; and means securing the magnets to a mounting board whereby the artwork is suspended from the mounting board by means of the clamping magnetic force.
A very important feature of the present invention, to be explained in detail hereinafter is that the magnets are seated in opposed recessed areas of the mounting board for the artwork or the like to be mounted and the mat overlay for the artwork. These recessed areas may be in the form of grooves, notches, slots and the like and in the case of the mounting board may even comprise holes adapted to receive the particular configuration of the magnets to be employed.
Since the invention will typically comprise two such magnetic mounting means, the invention will be discussed hereinafter and described in the illustrative drawings as showing only two magnetic mounting means. In the preferred embodiment, each magnetic mounting means will be provided by a pair of magnets of opposite polarity, the magnets generally being known as north or south magnets. Most preferably, for aesthetic purposes and ease of securing the magnets to the artwork, the magnets will be generally circular in configuration although other shapes such as bars and the like commercially available are also contemplated.